OUT OF MIND

OUT OF MIND might change the way you look at yourself. ‘Obsession’, ‘illusion’ and ’imagination’ – but above all, how the mind is open for surprise – will be the keys to our understanding of this exhibition.

13 artists, most of whom explore extraordinary types s of portraiture, will reveal to us the amazing paths of the human mind and imagination. The presented works follow the tradition of documentary and staged photography. Artists employ different processes – the exhibition comprises ambrotypes (photographs on glass), analogue and ink jet prints, short films and projections, all with an underlying theme of identity. The way in which reality and fantasy are presented is truly uncommon.

Masks and costumes have always been the symbols of transition and to the search for what is beyond the borders of our ‘self’. In his works, Chinese artist Maleonn Ma creates a comic tomato-headed time-traveller caught in various poses on the Irish coast. A counterpoint to these absurd images can be found in the equally unconventional and a bit unrealistic or exaggerated documentary portraits of revellers and festival-goers in Africa by New Yorker Phyllis Galembo. James Mollison, in turn, employs sound and moving images to present fans who obsessively copy the images of ‘gods’ and ‘goddesses’ of the music world. German photographer Gosbert Gottmann portraits frightening faces of bewildered marathon runners. Erwin Olaf invents elaborately staged photographs and videos to create fantastic and mysterious short films.

These are just a few examples of images that open the mind to illusions and curious narratives. Each series illustrates forms of enchantment and brings us closer to the unknown. They open doors for wonder and seduction.